Albion (Malice)
"No hand will halt my swords. No flesh will stop my nails. Pray for a quick death, and know that it will never come. No truth can save you from me." '' '' Overview Albion the Thrice-Crowned, God of Mysteries, Metal and Malice ''is the cold and cruel deity of the Moroi. He embodies the swords whetted with bone and blood, the anguished cries of the crucified and the secrets that mortality was never meant to know. His are the schemes that encircle the entire world, and they never seem to have cause or aim. The only constant in the plans of Albion is suffering, and if Albion gets his way the suffering will never end. Divine Realm ''Anathamus, the bleak domain that Albion calls home, is an endless lake of molten metal topped by clouds of smoke and ash and dotted with floating islands of slag floating across the landscape. Some of these islands have obsidian forges as hot as the stars burning in absolute darkness, where some of the most deadly swords in all the world are made. Others have resplendent living quarters for entertaining the few divine guests that would traverse the molten currents. Albion regularly visits The Pillar of Screaming Lies, where he meditates on the endless howling voices that emit from it's writing maws to learn more unfathomable mysteries. His namesake crowns lie on another island, blazing with the white-hot heat of a supernova. In the darkest, most searing hellhole of the Thrice-Crowned's realm is a lone cage of barbed iron, hanging from a chain that rises to the smog-choked sky. Relationships Mortals and Avatars Albion somewhat resents requiring the use of the Moroi to further his works on Nadir, and as such pays them little heed when they pray to him. The Moroi in kind see Albion as someone to be respected and emulated but ultimately feared and thus the Priesthood of Albion is little more than an anaemic cult of fanatics that crucify any so-called "heretics" that do not have the protection of a slave-guard, and are used as a secret police by the ruling government to solidify control. Still, the High Priest of Albion is respected enough to be granted the position of Duke-Regent, as Albion still needs a spokesperson to ensure his pawns do not go astray when Lady Malys is too busy to make royal decrees. Divine Relationships For a deity of malice, Albion is accepting of guests at his "living" quarters. Arnor was always welcome in Albion's realm, for the aims of Misery and Malice are always intertwined and Arnor was always direct with his requests. Lucidez and Bris are a constant source of pride for Albion (especially considering their dismal parentage), although he sometimes wishes they were less "sentimental". Kyvar and Albion are united in their use of metal and craftwork, but sharply opposed in what to do with such gifts - Kyvar would see the world remade and reforged, while Albion would only be truly content with a world of bloodied crosses. Albion is even more distant from his sister Tórdis Vígulfr - the very idea that "life" was something to be enjoyed is alien to the Thrice-Crowned. Once upon a time, Albion entered into a political marriage with Fallos to help further his grim works. When it became apparant that she expected to save mortals from their sins rather than just punish them for existing, he relieved himself of such a tiresome burden. Now he tortures her with all of her self-made shames, a small indulgence for the Thrice-Crowned. Hagar is the one god Albion truly despises. All other beings he could either work with, ignore or dispassionately kill, but his daughter is the only being to elicit an emotional response - Chains he could easily work with, Monsters he could tolerate. Mercy? The only response could ever be fury. For related reasons, Denen Överallt is one of the few beings in all of the myriad worlds that could elicit something approaching disgust and pity from Albion.